In the current information age, information technology (IT) tools play a significant role in our daily activities, and there are often discussions of the desirableness of a paperless society. Information technology tools are typically employed as a means to improve efficiency in the workplace (as well as elsewhere). For example, scanners and multi-function printers (MFP) are utilized to convert hardcopy documents into electronic form, thereby decreasing the need for physical storage space and at the same time allowing the information in the paper documents to be transmitted quickly and more readily.
In such circumstances, as well as others, an often-repeated process can be streamlined by employing workflow tools, such that the sequence of operations in the process may be automated. For example, document workflow software is often available to define a document workflow process for a scan document delivery from MFP, such as in an enterprise environment. An example of such document workflow process is (i) scan document, (ii) convert document image to multi-page PDF file (iii) apply watermark, and (iv) send to document management server.
Typically, such document workflow software is installed on a server computer since such server computer can have more processing power and rich software SDK (software development kit) than MFP. However, servers are not cheap and therefore recently, some document workflow software are commonly provided in two varieties: (a) a server edition typically providing full features and high performance; in which the MFP generates scanned document image, then pass it to the server, and the server runs document workflow process; and (b) a server-less edition typically providing relatively limited features and lower performance, in which the MFP generates the scanned document image and also runs the document workflow process.
However, even assuming that cost is not a consideration and that the server edition is obtained by default, not all of the document workflows that the customer uses requires full features and high performance. That is, at least some of the workflows may be very simple workflow that can be handled by MFP resources. On the other hand, if the document processing system is configured to employ the server edition, a simple job may need to wait in the server queue along with more complex jobs that require relatively greater resources and time. If the system permits the MFP to perform the document workflow, such simple jobs could be processed more expeditiously by the MFP and in many instances, the workflow output can be obtained from the MFP than from a server.